This invention relates generally to detecting electro-magnetic interference and more particularly, to electro-magnetic interference detection systems and methods for instruments such as breath testers.
Breath testing instruments often times are operated in the presence of devices that may emit electro-magnetic signals such as radio frequency (RF) signals. For example, police radios and controls for police video recorders, emit such signals. Electro-magnetic signals can interfere with the operation of a breath testing instrument, and accordingly, such instruments therefore should be substantially, if not totally, immune to electro-magnetic interference (EMI). EMI refers to an electro-magnetic signal or wave, radiated or conducted, from any source that interferes with normal operation of a device.
EMI detection circuits are sometimes utilized in connection with breath testing instruments. Such EMI detection circuits, however, typically operate only over a certain frequency band that includes the frequency range of police radios. Since police radios are likely to be present at the site of a breath testing device, detecting EMI within such frequency band is beneficial. EMI can, however, be generated from numerous sources at various frequencies and field strengths that may have little to do with a police radio.
In addition, with some known EMI detectors, an antenna and sensor are used to detect interference. Designing an antenna and sensor system across a broad band of frequencies and equally sensitive at all frequencies is highly complex. Further, the circuit and circuit components at risk for EMI may present different responses to different frequencies and therefore, the response of the detector circuit should be matched to the response of the circuit at risk, which further increases complexity. Also, a detector circuit that is separate from the circuit at risk is necessarily located in a different physical location than the circuit at risk. Therefore, there is less than absolute certainty that the detector circuit is “seeing” the same exposure to EMI as the circuit at risk. The complexity and uncertainty associated with such systems may result in possibilities for a false alarm or no alarm when interference is present.
In addition to, or rather than, an EMI detection circuit, shielding can be employed to shield at least certain components of the instrument, or the entire instrument, from EMI. While shielding is effective to at least some extent, such shielding is generally only effective up to a defined level of interference. At interference levels above such predefined level, there is a risk of interference impacting the integrity of the system. Also, over time, there is a possibility for shielding to become compromised through physical decay, corrosion, improper service, and other factors. Ensuring EMI immunity over the life of an instrument based on such shielding generally is not possible.